Why Is It Important To Wash Your Hands?

Hand washing is the first and foremost step to stay healthy.It is the one among the fundamentals of personal hygiene. Most people think that hand washing simply refers to wet their hands with clean running water. It is also believed that a quick rinse under water is enough to clean the hands. But, it can be surprising to know that hand washing is meant to make hands germ-free in order to avoid illness and spread germs to other people. And this cannot be achieved simply by washing the hands with clean water.

How to wash your hands properly?

To wash the hands properly, one needs to:

Wet the hands under clean, running water

Grab a soap or take a generous amount of hand rub

Start rubbing the palms together with fingers closed and then together with fingers interlaced.

Lather the backs of hands, between fingers and under nails

Scrub the hands for at least half minute

At last, rinse the hands under clean, running water and let them dry.

When to wash your hands?

One should always wash hands before:

Eating or preparing food

Inserting or removing contact lens

Treating a cut or wound

Taking care of someone who is ill

One should always wash hands after:

Preparing food especially with meat or poultry

Using a toilet

Changing a diaper

Touching animals

Handling pet food

Treating Wounds

Hospital visit

Handling garbage, household chemicals or anything that could be contaminated

Shaking hands with others

Why is hand washing important?

Hand washing has numerous benefits which are mentioned below:

Frequent hand washing protects from the bacteria and helps us to maintain personal hygiene.

Rinsing hands with clean water eliminate dirt and therefore avoid diseases and ensure good health.

Germs constantly seek entry into our body through various entry points among which hands are one. Hence, through hand washing, we can ensure complete protection from germs and prevent illness.

Germs spread from person to person when they shake hands with each other. Hand washing prevents spread of germs by human touch.

Human skin is sensitive to bacterial and fungal infections. Washing hands frequently can rinse away all the microbes and reduces the risk of skin diseases.

Use of antibiotics and other medications to treat illness may have adverse effects. Most of the diseases occur by the entry of bacteria into the body through dirty hands, hand washing keeps us germ-free and therefore makes us disease free. As a result, there will be the lesser requirement of medicines.